WFCR To Move AM Programming From 1430 To 640

[Laurence Glavin]

The Springfield Republican newspaper reports that WFCR-FM will move its AM simulcast from 5,000-watt daytimer WPNI to Clear Channel's WNNZ-AM 640.  This will allow WFCR to provide news and talk programming 24-hours-a-day on AM on a frequency with 50,000 watts days and 1,000 watts at night.

http://www.masslive.com/republican/stories/index.ssf?/base/business-1/1173430375229640.xml&coll=1

[URL added as a courtesy for interested users]

[radionut925]

The Springfield Republican newspaper reports that WFCR-FM will move its AM simulcast from 5,000-watt daytimer WPNI to Clear Channel's WNNZ-AM 640.  This will allow WFCR to provide news and talk programming 24-hours-a-day on AM on a frequency with 50,000 watts days and 1,000 watts at night.

http://www.masslive.com/republican/stories/index.ssf?/base/business-1/1173430375229640.xml&coll=1

[URL added as a courtesy for interested users]

Why not simply sell WNNZ to the public radio group altogether.  After all, Clear Channel is selling more stations as opposed to buying them these days.

[raccoonradio]

Am surprised they didn't put the conserv. talk lineup (Rush, Howie, Savage) on 640 and put the NPR on
560.

WNNZ
Day signal:
http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WNNZ&service=AM&status=L&hours=D

night signal:
http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WNNZ&service=AM&status=L&hours=N

[chuckydoll]

Yes, FCR is moving its AM programming. No, it's not a simulcast of 88.5 and no, it's not as simple as the thread implies.

Clear Channel will lease WNNZ-640 to FCR beginning Monday, April 2. Clear Channel will sell some underwriting (corporate sponsorship) for FCR and receive a cut of that money.

Springfield Falcons hockey will remain on 640 through the end of the season.

With 640 leased to FCR and WHYN-560 losing the Red Sox to WVEI-105.5, don't be surprised if the Yankees move from 640 to 560.

Why not simply sell WNNZ to the public radio group altogether. After all, Clear Channel is selling more stations as opposed to buying them these days.

Leasing an AM signal makes more sense for a noncommercial operator like FCR. Rhode Island Public Radio got into serious money trouble in part by buying two AMs.

Clear Channel is buying WRNX-100.9 from Pamal, which is getting out of the Pioneer Valley. Pamal also has put WPNI-1430 up for sale.

[raccoonradio]

>>With 640 leased to FCR and WHYN-560 losing the Red Sox to WVEI-105.5, don't be surprised if the Yankees move from 640 to 560.

that's what I figure, their sister station (Clr Chnl)..

[necrat123]

Nope. The Yankees are not moving to 560. CC didn't renew the contract.

That's OK because 880 is audible throughout the area anyways.

[raccoonradio]

by the way a small item in the Globe today says that while WPNI 1430 is awaiting sale, they're
simulcasting WUMB's folk/public radio, for now

[Joseph_Gallant]

I think the time may come soon where WFCR may move it's music programming to 640 on the AM dial and have it's FM station art 88.5 broadcast NPR news/information 24/7.

Most NPR member stations have abandoned music to go 24/7 news/information, droping music or (in the case of Vernmont Public Radio, starting a network carrying classical music which used to share time on VPR's main network with NPR news)

[Schuyler]

They might, if they are in dire need of funds.  Public stations sometimes make moves they think will "pledge well."  An NPR station I worked at in Florida blew out its classical music for news and talk because "it pledges well," to use the phrase of the manager at the time.  One would hope the other influence is the desire by pubcasters to "do the right thing."  IMHO, leaving music on FM and info on AM is the right thing given their respective audio.  The fact that commercial outfits are moving spoken word formats to FM would actually make the WFCR/WNNZ status quo more likely, because what self-respecting non-comm wants to sound like the corporate conglomerates?

As for WPNI, here it is five years later and they are still "temporarily" simulcasting WUMB.  Maybe it should be placed on eBay.

[raccoonradio]

Putting talk/news/sports talk on FM isn't just being done by commercial broadcasters, public stations like WGBH Boston are doing it too. It was said above, here, it "pledges well". It's said people want the news/talk
and quite a few do. But quite a few people are upset about losing the music (jazz, folk, blues,
classical--though in WGBH's case the latter got moved to WCRB 99.5). A few comments on
the WGBH facebook:
-------------------------------

--WHERE IS ERIC IN THE EVENING???
--The jazz decision was a bad decision and is likely to to decrease listenership.
--Bring the jazz back you jokers, nobody wants to hear the The Diane Rehm Show at 10pm while they're trying to relax on the couch.
-- Boston needs diverse music on the radio, not more talk. My kitchen radio has been tuned to WGBH for jazz almost every evening for years. No longer, I'm afraid.
=====================

Quite a few news/talk shows also appear on their competition, WBUR from Boston Univ. (you know,
the guys who bring you "don't drive like MY brother!" Car Talk). The fact is that radio is a business.
Including public radio. There are donations from "Listeners Like You" but also a lot of corporate donations.
Colleges, foundations, etc. They are making the decision to get rid of things like jazz. In Pittsburgh
WDUQ got sold and the new owners cut jazz back from 100 hrs/wk to 6 hrs/wk. I got talking to the
president of the Pittsburgh Blues Society and mentioned that. "Well, we'll still have Little E's," she replied,
referring to a downtown club. Hey, what ya gonna do? So we lose our jazz...

It's a trend for public radio, etc.

List of NPR donors, 2008
http://www.npr.org/about/aboutnpr/annualreports/NPRSponsorsDonors08.pdf
Angie's List, GM, Fox Broadcasting, Netflix, Pabst, Subaru Carfax

They mention these donors on air. "Non-commercial radio"? Not exactly. Anyway they feel news/talk
is more to the point of their mission, and fans of jazz, classical, blues, folk get the shaft. Maybe a 130
watt college station will play the latest blues releases and the classics--but 100,000 watt WGBH?
Noooooooooooooooo.....